Travis Turtle's
by ExplosionMare
Summary: The fast-seafood industry decided to capitalize on Freddy Fazbear's success, promising to build the safest animatronics in the world.
1. Chapter 0: Prologue

Mr. Derren wheeled in a large box to the presentation room. His investors were more than curious about his proclaimed "safest animatronic in the world", so he decided to bring in a prototype to prove his words were true. Carefully, he lifted the large box up the small stairs by the stage, making sure the box didn't drop. Once he got up the stairs, he pulled the cart out onto the stage.

"Would one of you mind lifting this box with me?" he asked politely.

"Of course," one of the investors replied.

Together, the men hoisted the large box off of the cart and placed it on the stage. Once they were finished, Mr. Derren pushed the cart to the side and opened the box, tilting it sideways as he did so. He unwrapped it carefully, as if there were an ancient artifact inside. Slowly, he drew his prototype out of the box. He stood it up and tilted the head up for a better view.

"Tell me, Mr. Derren, why would you want to make an animatronic, especially after the fall of Freddy Fazbear's?" another investor asked.

"After hearing the past successes of animatronic restaurants, I wanted to

bring that success to fast-seafood! But after learning of the tragedies at Freddy's, I decided to make animatronics the absolute safest they could be! I made sure absolutely no one could break into these suits!"

Mr. Derren proceeded to demonstrate by banging on the suit. He punched it, kicked it, and pried into it, but the metal didn't so much as move. The investors saw this, and leaned forward from their seats.

"Of course, most people who break into machines use some sort of weapon. Which is why I didn't design this just to keep people's hands from the animatronics!"

Mr. Derren opened the large tool box that he had previously brought in. He pulled out a hammer, a saw, and a shovel. He began with the back end of the hammer, creating a loud clang that sent the investors backwards in shock. He dug into every small crevice in the prototype, from the arms to the small area where the head connected to the body. Finding no luck, he picked up the shovel and thrust it at the animatronic. The heavy force didn't even cause it to sway, despite its lightweight appearance. Yet again, nothing could penetrate the exoskeleton. Mr. Derren set the shovel down and grabbed the chainsaw, revving it up with a crazed look in his eyes. The chainsaw growled hungrily, eager to tear into the prototype's metal and wires. Mr. Derren dug into the animatronic, but all that the exoskeleton allowed was for the crack of sparks to occur. He quickly looked away, afraid they would get into his eyes since he did not have the foresight to bring safety goggles. The investors grew worried, but he turned the chainsaw off shortly after he was finished.

Panting, he said, "Nothing, not even a power tool, can break into this animatronic! The secret behind this is simple! Aside from the mix of rubber in the plastic outing, this creation was designed with little screws that must be twisted a certain way. This allows mechanics to open certain parts of the animatronic to work on and to ensure dangerous people can't get into the suit,"

He pulled a magnifying glass from his pocket and allowed the investors to get a closer look at the otherwise invisible screws.

"As you can see, these screws are very tiny in order to remain inconspicuous. Allow me to demonstrate how these work,"

Mr. Derren then dug through the toolbox and located a small screwdriver. He took it over to one of the screws and turned the screw left twice, then right, then left again. He did the same for the other side of the limb he was working on and the lid popped open. Inside was a lean metal rod with a few wires draped over it.

The investors oohed and aahed, marvelling at the feat before them. The machine was very technologically advanced yet very simple at the same time. It was also impenetrable, which would be very cost efficient in the future.

"In order to open the joints, a sort of pin is needed to unlock the screws. That is why I have dubbed this machine a 'Screwpin Animatronic'!" Mr. Derren cried, reveling in the name he had come up with. He thought it was clever, and by the looks of the investors, they thought it was too. After glancing at them for a while, he closed the lid back up and moved on to the next features.

"Once I open up the chest, you will get a look at the battery in charge of powering the animatronic. Before you say I'll have to constantly replace them, this is an electrical battery I'm talking about! The wires and rods that make up the endoskeleton conduct electricity, so the animatronic can basically charge itself!"

Mr. Derren unlocked the chest and revealed the battery. It was about the size of a car battery with metal casing around it. While the appearance of the battery wasn't very impressive, the use for it was intriguing.

"You've achieved a lot as far as technology, but what entertainment value does this have?" one of the investors inquired.

"Oh, yes, that! This animatronic wasn't meant for just show, it has plenty of features for the kids, too! For example, when it talks, its facial movement is far more advanced than the typical up-and-down movements! When these characters talk, it's like watching something out of a cartoon!"

Mr. Derren opened the back of the head and turned the prototype on. After playing with the settings, the animatronic began to speak. Its mouth moved in and out as if it were human, and its eyes dilated and constricted as it was shifting tone.

"It doesn't stop at facial expressions! This machine is programmed to interact with its audience too. Of course, it is mainly for the children, so I can't show you that. But I can show you how it sings! It doesn't just play a recording, it sings live! All I have to do is give it sheet music!"

He pulled out a folded piece of paper from his pocket and handed it to the animatronic. It studied the song for a bit, analyzing every note. It then began to sing, looking around at the investors as it did. Its voice rose and lowered with each note like the intense melody of a violin. When it finished, it bowed its head and remained still.

The investors game the machine a brief applause, then allowed Mr. Derren to continue speaking. They jotted notes down and nodded to each other, certain their money was going to the right place.

"There is one last thing I would like to show you. Along with the screwpins, this prototype also comes with little magnets I like to call 'velcromagnetics'. The magnets are used to attach clothing to the animatronics for special events. They can only be used for the clothing since they're not super strong, to ensure no one attaches something on them that they shouldn't. Let me demonstrate how easy it is to dress this animatronic,"

Mr. Derren dug through the very bottom of his toolbox and pulled out a witch costume. He draped it on the prototype and waited for each click of the magnets as he went. Once he was finished, he gave the investors a moment to look at it before he took it off. He shut the animatronic down and put everything away, concluding the presentation.

The investors gave a standing ovation. They hollered and cheered as Mr. Derren smiled bashfully, taking it all in. The first investor walked up to him and said,

"Mr. Derren, your machine is very impressive! I for one am exhilarated about the future of this company!"

"What he means is, he's really excited to work for you," the second investor said, annoyed with the first investor's over-the-top vocabulary.

"Don't mock professionalism, miss!" The first investor said, perturbed that he was called out on account of sounding intelligent.

"Please, not in front of our business partner! Come on, Mr. Derren, let's pack this machine up and get to work!" the third investor cried.

Mr. Derren smiled at them and took the third investor's offer to pack up the animatronic. Both men laid the animatronic on its side and gently placed it into the box. They were about to go grab the cart until the fourth investor wheeled it to them.

"I have the cart," she said. Mr. Derren gave her a silent thank-you and got the box on top of the cart. Before he headed out, she whispered,

"Don't worry about those two. They tease each other all the time,"

He chuckled at her, amused at the investors' antics. He headed outside with the box in tow and a huge grin on his face. He was going to have the first animatronic accident-free restaurant ever, or at least that's what he hoped.


	2. Chapter 1: Shift Management

The restaurant was beaming with life in the span of only a week. Aquatic decorations were everywhere and the floor was lit up to replicate an ocean. To go along with the ocean theme, the new animatronics were made into sea creatures. Currently onstage, a green turtle, a white squid, and a magenta octopus filled the place with music and dancing. Over in a small corner, a pink jellyfish stood by a coloring table and watched as a few kids quietly colored.

The smell of fried fish and hush puppies permeated the air, setting off the ocean vibe even more. After all, the restaurant, recently named 'Travis Turtle's', proclaimed it was 'where the ocean isn't underwater'.

A large group of kids cried and cheered, encouraging the band to play just one more song. The animatronics loved playing for their audience more than anything, but even they had to take breaks.

"Whew, all that singing wore me out! We're taking a break, but don't worry! We'll be out soon and ready to play!" the turtle exclaimed.

"Aww, Travis, but we were having so much fun!" the squid whined.

"We won't stop having fun! We're going to play with all our friends, remember, Shannon?" the octopus replied.

"Olly's right, Shannon! We'll be back soon, everyone!" Travis said.

The curtain closed and the animatronics began to settle down. While they waited for the curtain to reopen, they evaluated the crowds they saw earlier. Just another safety measure they were instructed to take.

"I saw fifteen kids around the stage and three farther away from it. There were twenty adults, ten of them were parents and the rest were staff," Travis said.

"I saw four children over by Jennifer's Coloring Corner and a group of three near the arcades. Hopefully Jennifer counted the same," Shannon stated.

"I saw an extra twenty kids at the dining tables and thirteen parents. That makes forty-five children and thirty-three adults in total," Olly calculated.

Relieved that everything was running smoothly, the group took a moment to rest until the staff arrived with their casual clothes. The staff gave each character a simple t-shirt and shorts and meticulously dressed them, waiting until each velcromagnetic made a click before they walked away.

The curtains opened again and the animatronics eagerly walked out, ecstatic to play with all the children. They engaged in games such as tag and catch, and even introduced games of their own. Occasionally, they would check on Jennifer to see who had migrated over to her table. Kids would go and color to get away from all the wildness, but they would go back and forth. It was hard to keep track of everyone at times, but Jennifer's watchful eye made sure each child was where they needed to be. Every child was accounted for under the watch of the Screwpins.

* * *

Mr. Derren took in the lively atmosphere from his tiny office. Watching his creations from afar allowed him to get swept up in the magic of it all as if he were one of the children. He imagined himself out there, singing and playing joyfully in the majestic aquarium. He tapped his toes on the desk to the saccharine music and swayed his body to the beat. Mr. Derren was a ship being carried softly through the ocean. The waves lifted and lowered him playfully. The winds blew around him harmoniously, filling the air with whimsical melodies. He rocked back in forth in a soothing manner as the music gracefully surrounded him.

The fantasy came to an end when there was a knock at the door. Mr. Derren beckoned the person in and they came in, closing the door slowly to avoid slamming it.

"Sir, business has been going great, and it's wonderful, but we're becoming understaffed! We need to hire more people, especially in the kitchen! We could stand to hire someone after hours, too. The place is starting to get pretty messy," they said.

"That's great! And don't worry, Ms. Hennins, I have that covered! I'm printing a few flyers right now, actually!" Mr. Derren replied.

"Okay, that's good, cause I was starting to get worried!" she said, winking to let him know she meant that jokingly. Mr. Derren returned her gesture and turned towards his desk.

"Hmm, she has a point. We'll need to hire someone after hours to take care of things. This place could use a janitor, I bet! I'm not sure how I feel about people being here after dark, though..." Mr. Derren said to himself. He hunched over and tried to process how all this would work. He could definitely hire a few bakers, as that type of job could be offered to anyone. The night shift, however, would require more insight.

"If it's that worrisome to hire a janitor, I could always run a background check. Maybe they could sign something too," he said.

Mr. Derren began printing out the job applications and made a few changes for the janitor position. He grabbed the stack of papers once they were printed and headed outside. As he was walked,  
he wondered why he was so paranoid about a janitor. The more he thought about it, it wasn't the position itself, it was what could go wrong at night. People were capable of anything in the dark.

_Maybe I'm just paranoid._ Mr. Derren thought. _Too focused on all those Freddy's stories._

Once he was near the exit, he put the flyers up and made sure they were visible. When he finished, he sauntered back to his office, hoping he would get a few phone calls.


	3. Chapter 2: The Janitor Position

Mr. Derren evaluated all the applicants he had on file. So far, there were no criminal records or any suspicious activity he was aware of. Most, if not all the applicants, had quite a few years of work experience as well.

"They all seem like good people. I can't keep worrying about them, I have to hire someone," he said to himself.

He sifted through the files, arranging them by the job they applied for. Mr. Derren reviewed each person and chose the best one for each job and set the rest aside. After a good ten minutes, he had almost the entire staff figured out. The only staff member he was missing was the janitor.

Hesitantly, he reached for the phone.

"It will be fine. I'll know who to pick," reassured himself.

* * *

The janitor applicant slowly drove up to the parking lot and eased into a parking space. He twisted his keys out of his ignition and sat for a minute as the humming of the engine died. Considerately, he popped open the console and retrieved all his necessary documents, along with a few notes. He secured the papers tightly and hopped out of the car towards the back entrance.

Mr. Derren looked up at the man before him; a slim, light-haired figure with a posture more stiff than the chair he was going to sit in. He was unmoving, showing no signs of nervousness or calmness. Mr. Derren wasn't sure if that was a good thing or a bad thing. Briskly, Mr. Derren sifted through his documents and pulled out the interview questions.

"I am Mr. Derren, head owner and manager of Travis Turtle's Seafood. I may know your name but I would like to know more about you. Why don't you introduce yourself?"

"Sure. I'm Garrett Flinch, formerly an electrical engineer,"

Mr. Derren winced at the mention of electronics. Hesitantly, he asked,

"What kind of electronics did you work with?"

"I installed wiring in buildings. Houses, mostly,"

Mr. Derren felt momentarily relieved, then went back to the questions.

"What made you want to work at Travis Turtle's?"

"Early retirement funding. And I'd get to work alone,"

"Do you have any physical or mental conditions that have prevented you from working before?"

"No,"

"Would you be comfortable working in the dark?"

"Sure, I don't mind,"

"If asked, would you complete minor tasks outside of daily cleanup?"

"Yes, that's fine,"

"This is our last question: do you promise to ensure the safety of all people and equipment you come across on the job?"

"Yes, of course,"

"Good, excellent! Now just sign this contract here and we'll contact you in a week...if you get the job, you know,"

Garrett eloquently signed the contract to make sure his name was legible. He then got up, shook Mr. Darren's hand, and swiftly headed out the door, nearly banging it against the wall by swinging it open so fast.

Once he got outside, he drew out a long, shaky exhale. Appearing calm and collected was difficult, especially since he had started shaking as soon as he left. He barely made it to his car since every step was like walking on jello.

When he finally got inside, all of his anxiety washed over him. He would have to hold his worries in all over again if he was to ever go back there.

_At least if I went back, I'd have the job_ Garret thought. He decided to let the rest of his anxieties go as he pulled out of the parking lot and watched the traffic pass by.


	4. Chapter 3: Silhouettes and Sketches

Travis, Shannon, and Olly began wrapping up their final song, glancing around to get a quick count of the children before they finished. As the curtain closed, they waved to the cheering crowd, promising they would sing again soon.

The cheerful faces on the animatronics soon disappeared, replaced by looks of confusion and worry. Something was off about today. The place seemed...quieter than it had a while ago.

"Olly, how many children did you see today?" Travis asked worriedly.

"I saw sixty two in total. How many did you see by the stage?" Olly replied.

"Five. Thirteen were at the farther end of it. What about you, Shannon?"

"Ten by the arcades and four by the Coloring Corner," Shannon said.

"How many did you see in the dining area, Olly?"

"There were seventeen at the tables. Ten of them were up doing something else,"

Travis winced. There was a difference of three children. Not really wanting to hear the answer, he asked,

"Where did they go? Are they in the restrooms? Did they just leave?"

"No. I haven't seen them since our last check. And I didn't see them leave either," Olly answered.

"How many adults did you count?"

"Fifty, including staff,"

"Last time I checked I saw twenty five. How many did you see, Shannon?"

"...Twenty four..." she whispered.

Their faces froze as they examined the unbalanced numbers. Unless the missing people turned up before closing, they were officially considered lost. What's worse, the missing children could have been taken.

Before they could worry any further, the animatronics' curtain opened and playtime had officially begun. They smiled bigger than usual, trying to keep the evident worry out of their faces.

* * *

Much to Garrett's delight, he got the job. He had gotten an email confirming his position. He had gotten the hours and the amount of days he was supposed to work, but he hadn't gotten any materials or even a uniform. He figured he'd get those once he got to Travis Turtle's. Garrett headed out to his garage and hopped in his car, excited to start his new job.

When he arrived, he noticed that all the lights were off. He knew he was supposed to work in the dark, but he didn't think that meant _pitch black_ darkness.

_Maybe I'm too early. Mr. Derren isn't even here yet, I didn't see his car_ Garrett reasoned with himself.

As he reached the back door, however, he noticed a note indicating that he was indeed supposed to be there. The note read:

_Your uniform, flashlight and list of rooms to clean are inside. There are supply closets in every room for you as well. -Mr. Derren_

Garrett shrugged and began to head inside. He tugged at the door, but the door refused to let him in. Frustrated that the door was locked, he quickly looked around for a key. Unable to find one on the ground, he grabbed the note to see if it offered any hints. It made a jingle as he tore it off the door, so he turned it around. There was a key on the back, which he rapidly removed. Once he removed it, he noticed a bit of writing on the back of the note as well. He glanced at it and read:

_WARNING! Don't shine your light at the animatronics, they'll think you're an intruder!_

Garrett held the note back in shock. They'd think he was a intruder? He couldn't imagine a bunch of machines having that level of intelligence, let alone such a high sensitivity to light. Looking back at the building, though, drove fear through him as he realized why it was kept so dark.

_I hope they're just power cheapskates_ he thought to himself.

* * *

Garrett went inside and found his flashlight after feeling around for it in the dark for a while. He was sure this was some sort of safety hazard but he decided to ignore that and find his uniform. Once he turned the flashlight on, he found it with ease and headed to the restroom to put it on.

Once he returned, he searched for his checklist, which was hanging on the wall where the rest of his things were. He could barely make it out in the dark, but the rooms were simple enough to remember. Each room had a label and all of the rooms were in a linear pattern.

He headed to the First Party Room, which was on his left. He waved the flashlight around a bit so he could analyze his surroundings. However, just before he could head inside, his body grew cold. Garrett could feel an unfamiliar presence behind him. He felt it standing overtop of him, encompassing all of his personal space. Slowly, the thing began to move, circling around Garrett like an army surrounding a fort. From what he could make out, it was a large green...turtle?

_The flashlight!_ Garrett mentally screamed. He hurriedly turned off the light and froze. The thing, or animatronic, Garrett corrected to himself, continued to tiptoe around him. The tiptoes grew louder, louder, until the animatronic was standing so close they almost touched. The animatronic stood there for a while, lingering, then its footsteps sounded again, growing quieter and more distant the more it walked.

_Finally! Ha, Mr. Derren was real serious about these guys! Can't believe he wouldn't_ _program my face in their systems or something though!_ he thought. Afraid of making any sounds, Garrett shuffled to the room. When he felt the door, he nudged it open and slid inside.

He exhaled, relieved he was safe in the little room. He turned on his light and observed his surroundings. The mess in the First Party Room wasn't terrible, but there was a rather large spill in the corner. As he waved the light around, he noticed a little switch on the wall.

_Yes, a light! Now I can actually see!_

He flipped on the switch and blinked a couple of times, getting used to the no longer dim room. He could see everything now. There were a few tables, chairs, and even a few benches. Other than a few wall decorations and a couple of speakers, the room wasn't much different from other party rooms. However, there was a supply closet, which Garrett promptly went to.

Garrett got out all of his tools and began his work. He began mopping a few spots on the floor, then he moved on to the sweeping. He realized after he began sweeping that it was probably a bad idea to sweep while the floor was still wet, but it was too late to change that. Once every piece of trash was swept into the dustpan, he dumped it in the little trash can by the supply closet. Garrett then walked over to the little spray bottle he set out and brought it over to the tables.

Before he began spraying, he could hear a tiny creek just outside the room. Garrett stood stock-still, waiting for another noise. No noises came, so he slowly pivoted his head as if he were an owl observing the ground for a mouse. Through the small slit in the door, he could make out what appeared to be a pink jellyfish. Its eyes were large and searching. In a panic, Garrett ran over to the light and flicked it off. He darted around for a place to hide and crawled beneath one of the tables.

The jellyfish creaked the door open a bit more, just enough so she could squeeze through. She quietly stepped in, glancing around for anything visible. Disappointed in her findings, she walked off to another area of the restaurant.

_Why did that work?_ Garrett thought, dumbfounded.

* * *

Once Garrett got the animatronics' tactics down, his job was much simpler. Stay still in the halls, hide in the rooms. There were only two characters to deal with anyways, but sometimes, he thought he saw others, but they turned out to be just posters.

_Maybe they discontinued the other two_ Garrett considered.

He decided to let that go and finish up the last room. The last room had chairs scattered all across the floor as if a tornado swept in. Rolling his eyes, Garrett picked them all up and spent quite a while restoring them to their original positions.

When he was satisfied with his work, Garrett moved towards the halls, quickly scanning the floor with his light just in case. He didn't see anything besides the floor, so he relaxed a bit and strutted towards the exit. While he walked, he lifted his flashlight a bit to turn it off. Before he could, however, a tall green figure stood right where the light pointed.

Screaming, Garrett flicked the light off as fast as he could and booked it towards the nearest room. He sprinted to the left in a blind panic for anything resembling a door. He found a knob, but found difficulty in pushing the door open. Looking back, he realized it was too late to choose another one. Shoving as hard as he could, Garrett forced the door open with all his weight. The door lightly budged at first, then let go of its will to cling to the doorframe and allowed him inside. Garrett flopped in, the door swinging heavily beside him.

Garrett slammed the door shut, finding it much easier to shut it than open it. Panting, Garrett fought to collect himself. Coming to his senses, he felt for the light and switched it on. Once he was stabilized, he found himself in a room he didn't remember cleaning. He checked his list to see if he had missed it, but he had cleared every room.

Observing his surroundings, he realized this was unlike any party room he had seen previously. This room was bleak and barren with only one table in the center. A plethora of drawers encompassed the back end of the room. On top of the drawers, a small stack of drawings littered the countertop. They appeared to be sketches. Curiously, Garrett went over and looked at them. They appeared to be bipedal turtle drawings. Alongside one of them, words engulfed the page. Picking it up, Garrett inspected the writing.

_Dark blue._

_Leatherback._

_Lena._

_She's beautiful._

_I can't draw that well._

_I can still make her._

Garrett stared at the sketches in confusion. Was this a design for another animatronic? If it was, it didn't belong in here.

_Mr. Derren probably left all these in here. I'll just give them back in the morning._

He pocketed the drawings and slowly exited the room, shoving hard against the heavy door. Surveying the halls once more, Garrett made sure he was actually safe this time and scurried quickly and quietly to the exit.


End file.
